Real life Ways Kids Have Survived Kidnappings

It’s a shame that it’s even something that we have to think about, but the reality is that we live in a world with people hiding in it that would seek out children as their victims. Children are particularly vulnerable for several reasons, because they are small and therefore less able to fight back, because they are dependent upon adults, and because they are often unaware of the dangers that they as children face for predators who would target them. You can’t make your kids bigger, but you can teach them self-reliance and inform them about the all-too-real dangers that are out there, and how they can fight back. Here are some ways that not only work in theory, but that real life kids have used to defeat their kidnappers and get back safely.

Elizabeth Shoaf

Elizabeth Shoaf was lured to a wooded area before being abducted by a man who was wearing a police uniform, he was not a cop. He kept her in a pit for days before she convinced him to let her play games on his cell phone. She used the phone to contact her mother. She was rescued and her kidnapper sent to jail. Teach your children to remain skeptical of police if you are not with them, and to try to gain the trust of anyone that might kidnap them.

Jannette Tamayo and Rebecca Savares

Jannette Tamayo was kidnapped from her own home, she convinced her abductor that she suffered from various physical ailments and was in need of medical attention, he let her go. Rebecca Savares avoided abduction by faking that she couldn’t breath when her would-be abductor pointed a gun at her, when she saw his confusion she took the chance to run. Both kidnappers went to jail.

Barbara Ann Steward

Barbara was stuffed into the truck of a car by her abductor, when he opened it to get her out, she had armed herself with the tire iron she found in the truck and attacked him. She was able to fight him off and escape.

If you are a parent, your survival skills are not the only ones that you need to worry about. Teach your kids about the dangers they face and what they can do to stay safe or fight back if necessary.